Class of 2009
The legendary head coach of New Haven baseball and the alumnus who gave us the home of Charger football highlight the Class of 2009.
Jennifer M. Davis – Women’s Basketball
One of a very few three-time All-Conference selections, Davis made an immediate impact for the Chargers as a freshman. She scored nearly 200 points her first season at UNH and followed that with three outstanding seasons with over 450 points. With a career total of 1,622 points, Davis is one of only seven UNH women's basketball players to score more than 1,500 points in their career. She played in all 108 games during the four years of her career, including three postseason appearances.
According to the 1996-97 women's basketball media guide, Davis -a "prototypical quiet leader"- was best-known for leading by example. Her example often meant a 20-point night with four rebounds and three steals. During her senior season, Davis scored a career-high 540 points, ranking her sixth in the single-season record book at UNH, while shooting 43.2% from the floor and 75.7% from the foul line. She was named to her third All-New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) First Team in 1996 and was among the conference leaders in scoring (19.3 points per game) and steals (2.64 steals per game). The 1995-96 season also marked Davis' third appearance in the NECC tournament.
During Davis' junior season, she became the eighth 1,000-point scorer at UNH when she netted a basket against Sacred Heart on January 24, 1996. She scored 453 points and grabbed 64 steals that season as she garnered her second-straight All-NECC First Team honors. She shot 44.5% from the floor and averaged 6.5 rebounds per contest.
Davis' sophomore year, her first season as an All-NECC First Team selection, is when she emerged as one of the top players in the NECC. She averaged 16.7 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, while scoring 20-or-more points 10 different times. During her first season with the Chargers, Davis proved to be one of the Chargers top players, averaging 7.3 points and 4.1 rebounds per contest.
Ralph F. DellaCamera, Jr. – Alumni Award of Excellence
Ralph F. DellaCamera, Jr. is being inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame with the "Alumni Award of Excellence," in recognition of his many years of service, philanthropy and leadership to UNH and Charger Athletics. DellaCamera has continued to support the growth of the University since he graduated from UNH in 1975.
Most recently, DellaCamera has made major contributions to the Chargers newest athletic facility renovation. His generosity has given the Charger football program a new home at the Ralph F. DellaCamera Stadium.
DellaCamera's extensive background in investments and wealth management began in 1986 when he became a senior convertible arbitrage trader for Elliott Associates, a hedge fund based in New York that has a long history of beating the Standard & Poors 500. DellaCamera spent 14 years as the head trader and senior risk manager for the firm, helping it grow its assets under management from $80 million to more than $2 billion.
With more than 25 years of experience in the field of trading and managing money for financially sophisticated individuals and institutions, DellaCamera has built a reputation for institutional knowledge, superb research capabilities and market savvy.
DellaCamera holds a bachelor's degree in Marketing from the University of New Haven. He has served on the Development Committee and Capital Campaign for St. Luke's School in New Canaan, and is a director of the holding company Avatex Corp.
DellaCamera was the recipient of a Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of New Haven in 2007. He also serves on the University's Board of Governors and the Business Advisory Board.
Christopher M. Kuruc – Baseball
The 1998 New England Collegiate Conference Pitcher of the Year, Chris Kuruc posted a career record of 27-6 while at the University of New Haven. Kuruc began his collegiate career as a “bona fide” starter, as the 1995 season outlook stated, and after three years the Jonathan Law High School graduate was the team captain, the conference Pitcher of the Year, an All-Northeast Region performer and an All-American selection.
The 5-foot-10 right-hander from Milford, Conn. made an immediate impression on the UNH coaching staff. In the fall of his freshman year, Kuruc tallied a 3-0 record, followed by a 5-2 record and a 2.75 ERA as a starter/relief pitcher in the spring. The highlight of his first season came against New Hampshire College when he tossed a no-hitter in a 4-0 win, becoming the first and only freshman to toss a no-hitter in school history. His first year was so successful that he was named the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Co-Rookie of the Year.
An All-Northeast Region honoree as a sophomore, Kuruc appeared in a team-high 13 games and recorded four wins. He gave up one run or less in nine of 13 appearances, including four scoreless appearances. His season ERA of 2.35 would be a career-best.
As a junior, Kuruc posted a 6-2 record and held a 3.61 ERA in a team-high 13 appearances. He ranked second on the team in wins (6), strikeouts (37) and innings pitched (52.1). He was named the MVP of the 1997 City Series after he pitched a complete game two-hit shutout with 12 strikeouts as New Haven defeated Division I Yale University 10-0 in the title game.
Kuruc capped his Charger career with one of the finest seasons by any UNH pitcher. He tallied 12 wins and only one loss as a senior and earned NECC Pitcher of the Year honors. He was also named to the All-Northeast Region team and the NCAA Division II All-American team after leading the Chargers to their second NCAA World Series appearance in four years. He tied his sophomore total of two saves and added two shutouts in 1998. Kuruc's 12 wins that season, tie him for seventh in the UNH single season record book, while his 114.2 innings pitched that season rank him ninth.
In addition to his single-season performances, Kuruc ranks fifth all-time at UNH with 305.2 innings pitched, fifth all-time with six saves, ninth all-time with 27 wins and 10th all-time with four shutouts. He also finished his career ranked 10th at UNH with 236 strikeouts.
During Kuruc's four years at New Haven, the Chargers enjoyed a .766 winning percentage and won over 100 games, twice advancing to the NCAA College World Series.
Rob Thompson – Football
Despite the lack of statistics for offensive linemen, the line is the foundation of any offense. Thompson anchored the UNH offensive line for four seasons in which the Chargers combined for more than 14,000 yards and 1,000 points. During Thompson's tenure, the Chargers recorded 29 wins and 11 losses, including two seasons with an 8-2 record.
In 1988, Thompson became the fourth Charger to earn NCAA All-American honors and just the second Charger offensive lineman to do so. He was also named to the All-New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) First Team in 1988. A year earlier, he was named to the All-Eastern College Athletic Conference team (ECAC) and the All-NECC team.
In each of Thompson's four seasons, the Chargers accumulated over 3,000 total yards. During the 1988 season, the Chargers totaled 3,776 yards (1,346 rushing/2,430 passing) and set the record for total yards in a season. In 1987 the Chargers ran for 1,318 yards and threw for 2,093 yards, while tallying 267 points and allowing only 16 sacks. In 1986, Thompson's sophomore season, UNH threw for an amazing 3,011 yards and ran for 579 yards. In his first season, the Chargers ran a more balanced attack with 1,538 rushing yards and 1,807 passing yards.
After graduating, Thompson was a free agent at the New England Patriots mini-camp in 1989 and went on to play professional football in Brighton, England in 1990.
Thompson's career path also sprouted from the West Haven area, where he first began a career in athletics. He coached the offensive line at West Haven High School and Boston University before scouting for the European Football League and Managing the NFL Youth Initiatives. He also spent time as the General Manager for the Albany Conquest (AFL) before taking his current position as the National Director of Sales and Events for Radio Disney in Burbank, California.
Frank “Porky” Vieira – Baseball
Frank "Porky" Vieira, a legend to the sport and the father of the UNH baseball, retired from his coaching position following the 2006 season. Under Vieira the UNH baseball program posted a record of 1,134-329-6 in 45 seasons. That included a string of 43-straight winning seasons from 1962 to 2004, and 44 winning seasons overall.
No matter how you break down the numbers, Vieira was one of the all-time greatest coaches in the college game. Prior to the 2008 season, he ranked second among all Division II coaches with a career winning percentage of .776 and second in total victories. "Coach V" ranks seventh all-time in winning percentage and 29th in total wins, across all divisions. He is also one of only 30 coaches to win at least 1,100 games at any division of college baseball.
Vieira's achievements have not gone unrecognized by the media or his peers. Featured in several publications, including Sports Illustrated, he received the "Gold Key" from the Connecticut Sports Writers Association and was named Coach of the Year numerous times for the NCAA Northeast Region as well as the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) and the East Coast Conference (ECC).
Over Vieira's 45 seasons, the UNH baseball team made 31 Regional Tournament appearances (26 NCAA, 5 NAIA) and earned 17 College World Series berths (15 NCAA, 2 NAIA). UNH had 81 total postseason wins, the second most of any school in NCAA Division II history, and advanced to the College World Series a school-record seven consecutive times from 1984 to 1990. Vieira's best finishes came as NCAA Runners-Up in 1980 and 1989.
In 1978, Vieira recorded his best single-season winning percentage of .889 after advancing to the College World Series and ending the season with a 32-4 overall record. Vieira won his most games in 1989 when the Chargers went 36-5 and again advanced to the College World Series.
Coach Vieira is the first one to tell you that a great coach can't do anything without great players and UNH has certainly had its share. Vieira recruited and helped produce more than 80 players who went on to play professional baseball, including 10 players who made it to Major League Baseball. Further evidence of Vieira's contributions to the sport can be found in the NCAA Record Book, where you'll see the name "New Haven" appear nearly 50 times among the various team and individual records.
As of his induction, Vieira joined 46 of his former student-athletes who had already been enshrined into the UNH Athletics Hall of Fame.
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